The drawing from the handy-dandy Wikipedia is of the first Labor Day on September 5, 1882 in New York City.There were more than this many people in Ikea today. Even in the lunch room there were more people than this. Tom can't go to Ikea without having meatballs. The line snaked around for a mile and a half and I said, "Meet you in a half hour," because I had already drunk my lunch.
I went looking for kitchens. You never know when you might want to build a kitchen for show. I like to walk through the display rooms and imagine living in 425 square feet with a baby and a dog and a scrapbooking hobby.
People in Ikea catalogs look happy. People in the virtual store not so much. Is it some kind modern phenomenon that every child seems to have ADHD? Kids tearing through there with parents chasing after them and not necessarily following the arrows either.
And still, it was pleasurable being there. I love the Swedes for coming up with good design, cheap.
Later we ate with Margot and Howard outside at the Park Meadows Country Club in Park City. A lovely spot. Tom entertained us by having a long bout with the hiccups and recounting the 1957 high school debate topic: "1957 – Resolved: That the federal government should sustain the prices of major agricultural products at not less than 90% of parity."
Tom had it memorized, but I had to paste it in. I was in ninth grade writing the the dance program while Tom was debating.
Labor Day was good. Was it good for you?
I addressed wedding invitations until my eyes blurred and my shoulders ached, around 2:00, but I kept going until 9:30. No matter. My daughter and her fiance enhance each other; what could be better? I had a wonderful day of labor.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're back. Here's hoping all the comments are Qwerty-compatible.
I wrote two solid chapters on Sunday. Actually, i recorded them on my iPhone while driving up to Snowbird and then typed them up at Starbucks later. Chapter one is called "Morning" and chapter two is called "Idol." They're not perfect but I'm pretty satisfied with both of them. Oddly enough, I write a little about a kitchen on a stage. Or - a show kitchen. Maybe I'll go to ikea for detail ideas.
ReplyDeleteYes, I'm still stalking you. From the Apronstage to Five Crows and now here. You don't even know me, and I'm stalking you. But I digress...
ReplyDeleteMy real point (because my Labor Day was just too boring to recount) is a little IKEA-observation.
First, the Utah IKEA is far and away the most over-whlemed by children of any IKEA in the world. I've been to several now, and even a few in foreign countries. And in no place but Utah (that I've seen) do parents think that the cool model show rooms are an adequate substitute for a baby-sitter. The showrooms always end with the kids stuff, that should stop them from running out onto the street, right?
Second, Swedes are thin, generally in-shape people (atleast compared to Americans, Australians and Brits -- numbers one, two and three in obesity). The furniture they make, including their svelt, hug-your-behind armchairs are made for their fit figures. I don't want to seem insensitive, but... many Americans don't quite make it into these cute little chairs. Or rather, they make it in, but can't seem to make it back out. How many people do you have to see get stuck before it's just ridiculous? I don't know, but it still cracks me up every time.
Long live IKEA.
I'm glad you shared this. My recent ex-husband was going to take my boys to Utah primarily to see Ikea. He moved out and now needs furniture. But the boys complained about missing friends, Halo (the video game), and driving in a car for 5 hours, so none of them went. I will tell them they missed the hoards and they will all be extra happy that they skipped it.
ReplyDeleteI love Ikea. I go there every time I go to Utah. I wander slowly and always buy nice disposable napkins. Sometimes I buy new silverware, but only the spoons, or forks. I have lots of spoons. I like my Ikea spoons best, my boys like the Onieda spoons best. Twice I have bought lamps, and I always buy the chocolate toffees of which I can't remember the name at the moment.
I like to imagine living in 425 sq. feet all by myself, in London, or maybe in... no, pretty much in London. Okay, maybe New York City. I would want Ikea to decorate it, but Kathryn makes a good point. My plentiful backside probably would not fit in my Ikea furniture. I don't even want to imagine sharing those 425 sq feet with anyone else, much less a baby.
Thanks for sharing! I loved reminiscing (I think I spelled that wrong).
p.s. We discussed you at book club tonight. Or really, I discussed you and raved and said for a short book we should read "Thoughts of a Grasshopper". I think everyone should read that book. It sometimes brings a smile to my face when I remember a specific story from it. Sometimes I laugh at loud.
ReplyDeleteI woke up (too) early on Labor Day (4 am) to listen to my newborn snuff his way awake (it's a pity babies can't blow their noses) and I thought of all I had to do and the phrase that came to my mind was "Labor and Wait" which seemed so appropriate to my life as a mother of 5 small children so when I got out of bed I typed it up, printed it out and framed it. And then I labored all day until the family picnic at 5 pm and that was grand. Afterward we went to Borders and bought all the kids books, and then bought sundaes for dessert. So everything ended rather nicely.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I should clarify that we didn't buy all the kids/children's books at the store, because that would have been way too expensive and a lot of them aren't worth buying, but rather we bought all our kids a book each. There.
ReplyDeleteAddressing invitations, writing chapters, awaking at four in the morning sound like true labor. I love "Labor and Wait" I've always been a wait and labor kind of person and I don't think it works that well. I worry about a feckless life.
ReplyDeleteKathryn, blog stalking is perfectly appropriate, and I am flattered.
I'm following Kathryn straight down the same blog stalking path. It seems perfect, in a way, since my older sister's name is also Kathryn, and I've been following her for years.
ReplyDeleteI love IKEA, but have never been to the one in Utah. I loved the bit about not following the arrows. Are there any other stores that make you follow arrows? The best part is we all do it willingly because we know we might never get out if we don't.
I can't go to IKEA without getting one of their GIANT cinnamon rolls. So naughty. I can't think about it. I went to IKEA a few weeks ago to get a high chair. Of course they were sold out of the one I wanted and it will be months before they have it again. Clearly IKEA underestimated the Utah baby mill.
ReplyDelete